This article appeared in the Coventry Evening Telegraph and highlights how the costs of asbestos removal can spiral out of control.

Some of the costs can easily be avoided with the help of AsbestosServices.com - as chartered building surveyors and qualified asbestos surveyors, we plan the removal project properly and keep costs under control.

Asbestos Fears
Could Scupper City Projects

Sep 13 2004
By Fiona Scott


Future building projects in the city may have to be scrapped if the risk of finding hidden asbestos is deemed too great, city councillors have decided.

Only buildings put up after 2000 will be deemed to have no problems with asbestos, but all others will have to be carefully examined before any city council project to renovate or extend them is approved.

New rules are being adopted after a series of high-profile projects went over budget because asbestos was found after work began - the most notable being the revamp of Coventry Motor Museum.

Costs there spiralled after more and more asbestos was found in the building.

An initial contract for £72,000 to remove asbestos around some heaters ended up topping £500,000 and taking months.

Conservative leader Tim Sawdon later said in hindsight it would have been better to knock the museum down completely and start from scratch.

The new rules say the council has to do a visual inspection of all its buildings and keep records of what is found. Samples of dust will be taken away to be analysed but no walls will be drilled in case asbestos which is safe is disturbed and made unsafe.

When a major project is planned, experts will assess how much asbestos is there then make a judgement about how much might be hidden in inaccessible parts of the building.

If they decide the risk is remote, they have to log their reasons. If they think there is likely to be a lot, they have to look carefully at the money available before the project is approved.

The new rules mean councillors will have to decide whether to modify the project, or abandon it completely if they think the potential cost of dealing with unseen asbestos will be too high.

To keep your asbestos removal costs under control, or to identify asbestos in your commercial premises, please contact us on 0121 711 7110.